Steps of the Celestial Dragon
by Wordcounter
Summary: Ranma suffers from the Ultimate Moxibustion Point. To correct the problem, he uses the Nanban Mirror to travel to the past. But will this action truly help him? A part of the Timerunner series ...
1. Chapter 1

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

Date : 100509

Disclaimer : All Ranma and Jin Yong characters and concepts belong to respective creators and owners.

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

Ranma suffers from the Ultimate Moxibustion Point. To correct the problem, he uses the Nanban Mirror to travel to the past. But will this action truly help him? A part of the Timerunner series ...

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

**T I M E R U N N E R**

STEPS OF THE CELESTIAL DRAGON

Part 1:

The pigtailed martial artist knew that he had to find a cure to what the old pervert did to him ... quickly and soon. Right now, he was as weak as a person who had never trained in the martial arts with his use of ki stripped from him. He never really knew how dependent he was on ki until the day the old pervert utilised the Ultimate Moxibustion point on him. Now he was as weak as a 'little girl' who had never trained in the martial arts. At this moment in time, he was searching through the old pervert's belongings while he was out 'liberating more undies' as he called it from any of the poor women around him who happened to capture his fancy.

Bra after bra, panty after panty, were thrown all over the floor until it created quite a mess. He mentally apologised to the Tendo housekeeper for his actions while continuing to rummage through the old pervert's belongings. And there, he saw it ... no not a martial arts technique or scroll ... but a mirror. The Nanban Mirror. His heart soared when he thought of the possibilities of using the mirror.

'I can go back to the time before all this happened and warn myself about the old pervert's intentions to hit me with the UItimate Moxibustion Point,' he thought happily.

But then something occured to him. If he went back into the past to warn himself about what was going to happen, then he would not have any reason to go and search the old pervert's room in the first place. Which would then lead to him not finding the Nanban Mirror and not going back into the past in the first place. Which would in turn, cause him to not be forewarned about the old pervert's attack and which would lead to him becoming weakened by the Ultimate Moxibustion strike in the first place. He had heard of Nabiki discussing this problem before when they watched that American movie, "The Terminator". A paradox, she called it. A case of where a person went back in time to do something that led to him not going back in time which would then cause him to go back in time ... the whole cycle would never end.

So how was he going to solve this predicament? Then the answer occured to him. He would get the Nanban Mirror to send him to a place where a cure might be found! Without wasting anymore time, he shed a tear on the mirror. It glowed softly and then brightened to envelope the martial artist. Within a few seconds, the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist was gone.

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

There was a ripple in the air and a pigtailed boy of fifteen years was deposited in the middle of a cave. The cave was somewhat dark since it was night but not dark to the extent that he could not see a thing. In actual fact, part of the cave was brightened by the moon and starlight that penetrated the cave. The Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist studied his surroundings carefully. From the old furniture and the statue of a woman, this cave looked like it used to be somebody's home in the past. Since the Nanban Mirror sent him here, the cure had to be around here somewhere. He began searching the cave slowly and methodically for the cure.

It was a large cave with many rooms. Ranma had gone to almost every room but there seemed to be nothing of use that he could find in the cave. Just as he was about to give up, he heard a voice shouting from the outside. Thinking perhaps that the cave was not quite as deserted as he originally thought, the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist quickly went and hid himself in another 'room' of the cave. The voice continued to shout outside until finally he heard footsteps passing through the cave. Wondering who it was and at the same time hoping that he would not get caught by the 'home owner', the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist hid himself by a very large pillar rock that reached the ceiling of the cave.

The owner of the cave happened to be a young man most like in his early twenties, in well-dressed clothes. His hair style was unusual. Long hair that was tied in a ponytail above the head with a piece of cloth. As the owner of the cave-house, he also looked rather lost. Is this guy really the owner of the cave? Ranma wondered.

His eyes followed the young man as he continued to talk. Now that he was closer, he could make out some of the words that the man was saying. During his time of training with his father, Ranma had picked up bits and pieces of different languages in the different regions to get by. The young man before him was speaking Chinese. A very old form of Chinese dialect from a place he had been to in China ... Luoyang. Ranma was about to approach him when said person began to bow before the statue. Deciding not to disturb him for the time being, Ranma remained still as he watched the young man continued to do his bowing over and over again. Was he mad? Why was he bowing before the statue like there was no tomorrow?

After an hour of of watching, the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist finally got tired of waiting and watching the young man injuring his head on the floor. He called out. The young man stopped doing whatever he was doing and turned in his direction immediately.

"Hi! Hello? Are you the owner of this place?" he asked.

"No. I'm a visitor too," he said.

"I'm Duan Yu," the young man introduced himself.

"Ranma," the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist answered.

"What are you doing here?" Duan Yu asked.

"Looking for a cure. Why were you bowing before the statue so many times?" the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist asked.

"The writing here said that-" Duan Yu was about to say something when Ranma pointed to a small tear in the 'cushion' where the young man had been bowing like no tomorrow.

Getting curious, Duan Yu picked up the cushion and shook it.

"There appears to be something inside it," he said and began to tear open the cushion.

When the tear was big enough, Duan Yu fitted his hand through and felt his hand around. Removing his hand, he pulled out a scroll made of cloth and rolled it open.

Unable to read any of the ancient Chinese characters, Ranma asked Duan Yu about the contents of the scroll.

"What does it say?"

"Since you have bowed before me one thousand times, you are now my student. As a student, you must do everything that I, the master, tell you to. I have just one simple command. You must kill every member of the Carefree Sect and wipe them out completely without mercy. Wahhh!" Duan Yu cried out in horror much to Ranma's surprise.

'Dear Goddess is so violent.'

"What was that about?" Ranma asked, surprised by the outburst.

"The writer of the scroll wants us to kill a group of people," the Crown Prince replied.

"Anything else?" Ranma did not appear to be even disturbed by Duan Yu's revelation.

Being threatened with bodily harm and social blackmail on a daily basis back in Nerima for the past few years had deadened him to such trivialities.

"To accomplish this, I have imparted to you two techniques that would help you in dealing with any opponent. The Divine Skill of The North Technique and the Wave-like Subtle Steps Technique. Study them deligently. The martial arts of all the different factions are now yours in the next room. My apologies. I don't have the following martial art styles :- the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms belonging to the Beggar Sect; Yi Yang Finger and the Six Meridian Divine Swords belonging to the Duan family ... Hmmm? That's my family ... and the Tendon-Altering Sutra belonging to Shaolin Temple," Duan Yu read on.

"New martial arts technique?" Ranma asked and quickly moved over to look at the scroll.

The next section of the scroll though caused both youngsters to turn away in embarassment. It was not difficult to see why.

There was a naked drawing of a woman on the scroll. After a few minutes of averting their eyes, both youngsters turned to look at the drawings again.

"What does it say?" the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist asked as he looked through the scroll.

"It says this ..." Duan Yu began as he related the contents of the scroll to Ranma.

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

'This style doesn't make any sense!' the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist thought as he began to do the steps indicated in the scroll for the Divine Skill of The North Technique.

'Why do I have to get rid of all my internal energy to get this to work again? Yeah, right! There would be a conflict between the ki energy absorbed into the body from the opponent and the ki energy already present in the body of the user. Even Hinako's energy sucking technique doesn't work that way! Well, since I can't use it anyway. Here goes nothing.' the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist meditated and began the following steps to drain the ki from his body completely.

Not faraway, Duan Yu watched Ranma go through the first step of the Divine Skill of The North Technique with trepidation while he read the instructions to him. Nothing visible appeared to be happening apart from Ranma going through the different steps but deep within the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist, something was happening. His vast ki reserves were draining away like water into the gutter until finally, they were gone. Sweat pooled over his forehead as he went through all the steps told to him by Duan Yu.

Hours passed. Finally, it was done.

'Not that, it has made me any stronger or gotten rid of the effects of the Ultimate Moxibustion Point Technique used by the old pervert,' Ranma grumbled to himself inwardly.

"Can we go on to the next one now?" Ranma asked Duan Yu gruffly.

"Are you sure? You don't look so well," Duan Yu replied with concern at Ranma's tired condition.

"I'm a martial artist! A martial artist can take anything!" the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist insisted strongly.

"Very well, then," Duan Yu answered and began reading instructions for the second martial art technique.

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

One hour later ...

"See! Told you I could do it!" Ranma answered before collapsing to the ground in a heap.

Duan Yu ran over to the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist to check on his condition. He felt his hand and his forehead. There was a pulse, albeit a very weak one at that.

"My goodness! Why did he have to be so stubborn?" he mumbled to himself before running off to get some water.

He ran through the cave and tripped over the stones in the darkness. Getting up, he realised that he couldn't see and began to feel around in the darkness. Before he knew it, his hand brushed up against something solid and there was the sound of stone grinding against stone from the opposite side of the wall.

'There's light in there!' Duan Yu thought and entered the hidden chamber.

The chamber was well-lit but like everything else in the large cave, it was covered with dust. Looking around, Duan Yu saw a few burning torches on the wall and ran to grab one. He ran up close to them and was about to take down one of the torches when he saw drawings on the cave wall. Wondering what it was, he drew closer to look at them.

They looked like drawings of a person with hands and legs in different positions.

'What is this? Another martial art technique? It certainly is different from the ones in the scroll,' he thought as his eyes moved from one drawing to another.

His new friend would be very interested in it.

Crap!

And speaking of his friend ... he had almost ... forgotten about him!

Without wasting anymore time, Duan Yu grabbed one of the burning torches from the chamber and ran towards the entrance of the cave. Quickly he filled an old wooden bucket with water and carried it back to the cave. Upon arrival, he took out a roll of cloth and dipped it into the wooden bucket. As he leaned over the pigtailed-martial artist, he knocked into the wooden bucket accidently with his knee, tipping its contents on Ranma. What happened next, caused Duan Yu to freak out.

"Oh my goodness! He's turned into a woman! The water must be enchanted or something! Don't tell me that these martial arts that most Dear Goddess asked me to learn is for women only? That's the only explanation. Then what about the martial arts in the cave? If there is one martial art technique that can turn a man into a woman, could there be another that can turn him back into a man?" he mumbled out loud before making his way back into the cave with the drawings on the wall.

Upon entering the chamber a second time, Duan Yu took care to study all the drawings on the wall.

'This style is all about killing the enemy and fast. It doesn't say anything about how to change a woman into a man," Duan Yu thought as he studied the techniques of the style carefully.

'Maybe I'm not looking at this right. The technique only changed Ranma when he pursued the martial arts with all his strength and will. Maybe if I do the same here, I might get enlightened on his condition,' Duan Yu concluded.

Personally, Duan Yu refrained from learning the martial arts as he thought that martial arts was all about how to injure or kill somebody quickly. From young, he had studied Buddhism and adopted its teachings into his heart. Thus he felt that all the martial art styles were too cruel to learn as a result. His father had tried to forcibly teach him the Yi Yang Finger Technique but Duan Yu had refused consequently running away from home to where he was now. But right here, in this cavern, he was going to learn a very deadly martial art style to help fix Ranma's condition. The irony could not have been more obvious.

The Crown Prince of Dali did not waste his time and began to learn the martial art technique in earnest.

Two hours later, Duan Yu had returned to the cave where he left his friend lying on the ground.

He couldn't help but think, 'She certainly looks beautiful. Not like Dear Goddess but close ... very close.'

Blushing slightly, he held his friend up in a sitting postion with legs crossed on the ground and began to remove her shirt carefully with his eyes closed. Then he sat on the ground behind Ranma in a similar manner. Using what he had learned from the drawings on the cave wall, he examined Ranma's ki flows.

'What is this? Something here is not right. It's locking up his ki flows, preventing him from using his internal energy,' he thought and began to hit Ranma's body at strategic positions across his back with his fingers.

He traced the ki flows carefully and then began to release them slowly. He lashed out with both his palms to hit Ranma's shoulders forcing him to exhale before hitting him again in the center of the spine with his finger. Ten minutes later, sweat was now creasing Duan Yu's eyebrows. He sighed in relief as he felt Ranma stir before him.

'Done!' The Crown Prince thought as he leaned back against the cave wall in exhaustion.

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

Ranma opened his eyes to find himself in girl form facing the statue of the woman in the cave. She checked his ki flows to find them flowing properly. Instinctively, she tried to summon her ki but could only feel a little at first.

"I've tried correcting your internal energy flow as best as I can. The block should fade away soon and you will have full access to your internal energy," Duan Yu said.

"You pervert! Did you have to take off my clothes?" Ranma asked aghast at the thought.

"You misunderstand! I couldn't do it with your clothes on! They were in the way!" Duan Yu protested in desperation.

"Why you!" she charged at Duan Yu in earnest.

"Wait! I didn't see anything!" he shouted and leaped to avoid the blow.

Ranma missed but quickly followed the palm strike with a punch towards Duan Yu's lunar plexus. Duan Yu twisted to the side to avoid her, his foot touching the side of the cave before leaping upwards towards the cavern entrance to avoid Ranma.

"Come back here, you pervert! Take your punishment like a man!" Ranma shouted as she chased after Duan Yu.

The two of them were now outside and Ranma was trying to hit Duan Yu with everything she had ... only to miss as the Crown Prince seemed to display a martial art skill that was way in excess of Akane and Shampoo's skill level. Not faraway, multiple pairs of eyes were watching the two.

"Do my eyes play tricks on me or is our prince being chased by a topless girl?" a man asked his companion.

TBC

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

Date : 170509

Disclaimer : All Ranma and Jin Yong characters and concepts belong to respective creators and owners.

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

Ranma suffers from the Ultimate Moxibustion Point. To correct the problem, he uses the Nanban Mirror to travel to the past. But will this action truly help him? A part of the Timerunner series ...

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

STEPS OF THE CELESTIAL DRAGON

Part 2:

"We have to bring the Prince back to the palace. The King would not be pleased if something were to happen to Duan Yu," one of the watching men said.

"Let's go!" They both leaped into the air towards the Prince and the pigtailed girl who were fighting.

In reality, it wasn't much of a fight. Duan Yu was doing his best trying to avoid being beaten up by his boy-turned-girl friend by dodging and parrying all her blows without returning back a single blow.

"Now, look here. I didn't see a thing," the Crown Prince pleaded.

"Die!"

"Honest! I swear it!" Duan Yu spoke with righteous conviction.

"Stand still and take your punishment like a man!"

"I'm sure we can discuss this in a more civillised manner," he tried again.

"Die, pervert!"

"Please give me another chance," Duan Yu begged.

"Shut up!"

"This is all just a big misunderstanding!" the Crown Prince tried to explain to the angry pigtailed girl.

Suddenly, there was the sound of cloth beating against the air and the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist found herself underattack by two men that he did not recogtnize. They were fast and struck simultaneously with their swords, giving the pigtailed girl no chance to retaliate. Then there was a blur of movement in the form of afterimages of the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist as she evaded both her attackers with ease.

'She's using the Wave-like Subtle Steps Technique to avoid their attacks,' Duan Yu thought as Ranma swerved to avoid two blades cutting into her with apparent ease.

A third man in black clothing appeared in front of him.

"Your Highness, your father has instructed me to bring you home. Please come back with us to the Imperial Palace," the man said as he bowed his head slightly before the Crown Prince of Dali in deference to his rank.

The sounds of explosions, swords flashing, punches and kicks being thrown continued to sound through the night.

Finally, the sound of someone falling to the ground in a heap could be heard. Duan Yu saw that the man-turned-woman dropped to one knee, huffing and puffing. The man leaped forward to take her down and the Crown Prince gave vent to a cry of alarm.

"No! Ranma's still weak! Her inner force has been cut off!" he shouted.

He was too late.

The blow struck the red-haired girl and then a ripple-like wave travelled from the man into her. The man who was so sure of himself a moment ago found himself weakening rapidly. It was like the very life had been drained out of him into his opponent. He tried to let go but found himself unable to move from the girl's body. It was like he was rooted to the ground right where he stood. His companion who had been assaulting Ranma a moment ago, quickly rushed to help him by pulling him off the girl. Unfortunately, the moment his hands came into contact with his companions' body, he too was caught in the same predicament unable to move. Ripple-like waves began to move from his body to his companion's body from where he had bodily contact with him.

The man who was speaking with the Crown Prince quickly leaped to assist his two companions.

"WAIT!" Duan Yu shouted but it was too late.

The man leaped forward to pull his companions apart only to find himself in the same predicament. Unable to move and growing weaker by the second. The Crown Prince channelled his inner force through his palm and a transparent ki blast was launched through the air. It struck the four people with a loud BOOM throwing everyone off in different directions.

There were groans of pain as everyone stirred awhile before getting to their feet. All except for Ranma. She began to convulse uncontrollably on the ground.

Duan Yu ran up to her, worry creasing his features.

"What kind of martial arts style was that?" one of the three men asked.

The Crown Prince who did not want to reveal Dear Goddess's secrets ignored the question.

"This is not good. Ranma appears to be having trouble integrating the inner force she absorbed from you three into her body. They're not coming together. That's what is giving her pain. Inner force from outside the body. Her body is having great difficult adjusting to the sudden intake of foreign ki. They're flooding her body's internal energy pathways. She could die. We have to take her to Dragon Temple now," the Crown Prince answered. with resolve.

"Your father has asked you to return home, Sire," the bodyguard answered.

"Tell my father to meet me at Dragon Temple," the Crown Prince answered while wrapping Ranma up in a large roll of cloth.

"The two of you help me to carry her there," he answered.

The three men lifted Ranma's cocooned body and leaped into the air. They moved quickly and disappeared into the night.

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

They were making quick progress, carrying the body of the pigtailed girl to Dragon Temple who was mercifully unconscious. She stirred slightly.

"No ... no more, dad!"

Duan Yu turned to look at the pigtailed girl with concern.

"Not the hole again!"

Ranma began to squirm and struggle in the cloth binds.

"She's having a nightmare, Sire."

And then mercifully, the red-haired girl lapsed into unconsciousness again.

"Sir, we've been running for an entire day. We need to rest or none of us are going to reach Dragon Temple in this state," one of the men escorting him answered.

"We don't have much time," the Prince answered as he picked up his pace again.

"Sire, let us approach one of the nearby villages. Perhaps they may be kind enough to provide us with a horse," one of the men suggested.

Duan Yu agreed with the suggestion and they began to look around for one of the nearby villages. A few minutes later, their efforts were rewarded.

'WANGJIE VALLEY' the sign read.

'Everybody is welcomed here except for people with the surname of Duan who are STRICTLY FORBIDDEN FROM ENTERING. Those people with the surname of Duan who try to enter will be hunted and killed without further warning.'

"This could be dangerous, Sire. It seems like the owner of this place has a grudge against everyone with the surname of Duan. Let us find another dwelling," one of the two men accompanying him suggested.

The pigtailed girl began to convulse unconstrollably in her cloth bindings.

"There may not be enough time to search for another place. I have an idea," the Crown Prince answered and began to relate it to his two companions.

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

Thock! Thock! Thock! Thock!

Thock! Thock! Thock! Thock!

The old wooden doors opened to reveal an old man and woman standing at the entrance. Actually the man looked old but the woman did not. She still retained her beauty despite no longer being in her youth.

"Greetings. I'm Soo Yen Tai, a traveller from the South. The two men are my companions, Lee Soon and Xin Jiang. Sorry to disturb you at this time of the night but we have an emergency. I hope that my the owner of the place does not mind if we borrow a horse to get to Dragon Temple quickly," the rich young man explained.

"What's the emergency?" the man asked.

"My fellow companion has fallen unconscious. We're taking her to Dragon Temple in the hope that the abbot, Ben Yin, would know how to treat her problem," the rich young man answered.

"May I take a look at your companion?" the old man asked.

"By all means," the rich young man answered.

The old man stepped forward towards the blanket-wrapped woman and studied her closely before reaching out with his hand. The rich young man stopped him immediately. When asked about it, he explained that the girl's medical condition did not allow her to be touched safely. The old man looked satisfied with the explanation and called out loudly. In a few minutes, one of the manservants approached them with a horse.

"Thank you for your help, kind sirs. May I know the name of my benefactors?" the rich young man asked.

"I am Zhong Wan Chow and this is my wife, Gan Bao Bao," he said.

"Then Zhong Wan Chow and Gan Bao Bao. I, Soo Yen Tai, thank you for this act of kindness and hoped to repay it one day," the rich young man answered before putting the unconscious girl on the horse.

"Don't mention it," the woman answered quickly before her husband could get in a word.

The rich young man got on the horse and in a heartbeat they had disappeared into the night.

Once they were out of sight, the old man turned to his wife.

"Why did you stop me from telling them how to repay it?" he asked.

"I know about your hatred for Duan Zheng Chun. Asking a total stranger to kill someone that you hate in return for your kindness, though, is considered to be in very bad taste, dear. Also, if they were not who they claimed to be but spies from the Imperial Palace, you would have had it. Especially if they were members of the Duan Royal family," the beautiful woman answered.

"They were part of Duan's family? Why didn't you tell me?" the old man asked, his teeth gritted in rage.

"If anything had happened to his son over here, Duan Zheng Chun would have an excuse to destroy this valley. Not even Wangjie Valley would have been able to stand up to the Imperial Army for long," the beautiful woman answered.

"Fine then! But they had better not return here," the old man vowed.

"They won't," came the reply.

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

It was dawn but they had finally reached Dragon Temple. Duan Yu and his retainers quickly rushed up the steps with the boy-turned-girl in his arms. A monk in grey robes came out of the temple to greet them. The Crown Prince quickly told the monk of the problem asked to meet the abbot of the monastery. The young monk wasted no time in rushing inside to bring the abbot. A few minutes later, the old abbot in yellow and red robes, accompanied by his subordinates, appeared.

Duan Yu wasted no time in bringing Ranma up front before the abbot, telling him quickly about the problems. One monk seated Ranma in front of him in a lotus position before stepping away from him to take a meditative pose eight feet feet away from him. Four other monks joined him in a similar manner behind the pigtailed martial artist.

Five hands moved in unison before unleashing a beam of pure ki energy at the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist. Ranma coughed before being thrown forward slightly by the blows.

"Is Ranma alright?" Duan Yu asked.

"I've done what I can but the way her ki flow is being cut off ... it's unlike anything I've ever seen," the abbot answered.

"There might be a way to restore her completely back to normal but the person who does it will have to join our order for the martial art technique requires a deep understanding of the precepts and guidelines of Buddha Dharma. If you are willing to do so, I will bring out the I-Ching Tome," he added.

"I will do it!" Duan Yu answered.

"Think carefully. You would have to become a monk. It is a lifetime commitment," the abbot warned.

"I will do whatever it takes to save the life of a friend," the Crown Prince answered, determination evident in his voice.

"Very well then. She would be proud to have a friend like you," he answered before giving out an order to one of the grey-robed monks to bring out the I-Ching Tome.

Duan Yu hoped that his sacrifice would be sufficient to save the boy-turned-girl from dying. A pair of monks arrived with shears to shave off his hair. Just as they were about to start, they heard a shout.

"No! I won't permit this!"

"Father? Grand-uncle?" the Crown Prince answered in surprise.

"Forgive me for the interruption, honourable Master Ku Rong," a well-dressed man accompanied by an aged man answered.

"When we heard from Fan Hua that you were coming to Dragon Temple, we came over as soon as possible. Duan Yu, you cannot become a monk. You are the Crown Prince. If you become a monk, there will be no one else left in the family to take over the kingdom after I'm gone. I've ruled for a long time and am now just an old man. I do not mind abdicating the throne. I've spoken about this matter with your father while you're gone," the Emperor of Dali explained.

"Grand-uncle?"

"Honourable Master Ku Rong, take me as one of your disciples instead," the Emperor of Dali prostrated himself before the feet of the abbot.

"It is the will of Buddha, then," the abbot nodded in acceptance.

He gave orders for the shears to be brought forward and they began the traditional ceremony of inducting a person to join the monkhood. The royal robes of office were removed to be replaced by a humble robes of an ordinary monk. His long hair was removed cleanly until none of it remained.

"No longer shall you be called Duan Zheng Ming but you will now be known as Ben Chen instead. Your earthly ties to the world are now ended," the abbot answered.

The former Emperor of Dali bowed each time the drum was struck. Just as the induction ceremony of the monkhood was finished, another monk rushed into the temple to whisper into the abbot's ear.

"There is a visitor at the gate sir. He insists on seeing you right now."

"Very well then. Let us see what he wants," the abbot answered before making his way to the courtyard of the monastery.

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

"Honourable elders of Dragon Temple and fellow believers of Buddha, I am Jiu Mo Zhi, a humble traveller and scholar from Dalun Monastery. I come with the hope that you would present to me as a gift, the scroll of the Six Meridian Divine Swords," the bald-headed man in saffron robes declared.

"The Six Meridian Divine Swords? Why do you want it? We at Dragon Temple do not simply give out martial arts techniques on demand to friends, much less strangers," one of the monks answered.

"I am deeply indebted to Master Mu Rong Ba who was my friend and mentor for imparting all his skills to me. When I asked him what I could do for him in return, he said that he had but one lifetime desire which had become his one deep regret. He wished to see the Six Meridian Divine Swords technique which he never had the chance to see nor experienced in personal combat," Jiu Mo Zhi explained.

"If he wanted the Six Meridian Divine Swords technique so much, why didn't he come to the temple itself to get it?" another monk asked.

"The Six Meridian Divine Swords belonged to the ruling family of Dali. The adminstration of the Duan family has brought peace and prosperity to the state. Consequently, it is well-loved by the people. Master Mu Rong Ba dared not steal nor borrow the Six Meridian Divine Swords manual from the temple because of that," Jiu Mo Zhi answered.

"Then you should follow his example. Neither borrow nor steal the manual from the temple," the same monk declared.

Jiu Mo Zhi threw a wooden box on the ground. With a simple application of his ki, he threw the lid open and three books floated into the palm of his hand. Three of the monks in front of him raised an eyebrow at the gesture. Taking no notice of their growing anxiety, he threw the three books on the ground in front of the monks.

"These three books contained all the 72 Movements of Buddha Dharma, their lethal techniques and all the methods on overcoming them. As my mentor and friend, he had provided the three martial arts tomes to me before he died. All he had asked me for in return was the Six Meridian Divine Swords manual. Allow me to bring back the Six Meridian Divine Swords manual to his grave so that his spirit might be able to rest in peace," the mysterious bald-headed man in saffron robes gave in reply.

"Even if the man is your friend, we cannot simply hand out martial arts techniques to people who ask for them just like that. Tell me what are you going to do the with the Six Meridian Divine Swords manual?" the abbot asked.

"Master Ku Rong, once a lifetime promise has been made to a friend, one must honour it. So if my request puts the temple in a difficult position, please extend your mercy to me so that I can bring back the manual and put it in a bag before burying it in Master Mu Rong's grave. I promise I will not even look at it. The temple will retain a copy of the scroll before passing it to me, of course," the scholar declared with a laugh.

"Forgive me for being doubtful of your intentions but I don't think that anyone here believes that you have come all the way to Dragon Temple just to get the Six Meridian Divine Swords manual only to bury it in your dead friend's grave," the Crown Prince snickered.

"You who are an outsider, be silent and respect your elders! This is none of your business," the scholar snarled maliciously.

"My son is right. Nobody here is fooled by your words," Duan Zheng Chun agreed.

"Fine then! I see that I'm unable to convince the monks of my sincerity in acquiring the Six Meridian Divine Swords manual. If none of you wish to respect the wishes of my dead friend then forgive me for doing this!" the bald-headed man in saffron robes shouted before leaping into the air in Duan Yu's direction.

At once five of the monks leaped forward to intercept the blow. There was a massive buildup of ki and the fight was on.

"Come with me," the abbot instructed Duan Yu.

"Where are we going?"

"You ask too many questions. We must hurry," the abbot answered they quickly made their way into the library of the monastery.

"Memorize the whole manual quickly. Once you're finished, give it back to me," the abbot instructed as he handed Duan Yu a scroll.

The Crown Prince wasted no time in opening and reading the entire scroll.

"The Six Meridian Divine Swords technique? I thought it was a myth," Duan Zheng Chun answered.

"It is very real. We at Dragon Temple have spent more than half our lifetimes in trying to decipher the techniques and teachings in the Six Meridian Divine Swords scroll but none of us were successful. There is a missing element, a key component that has escaped our grasp in understanding the methods used," the abbot explained.

"And you believed that Duan Yu can do it? I know that Duan Yu has always been a quick learner but ..."

"He has memorized all of Buddha's teachings and much of the present literature. Besides it is a technique from your ancestors. I believed they would want him to have it," the abbot explained.

TBC

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

Date : 030609

Disclaimer : All Ranma and Jin Yong characters and concepts belong to respective creators and owners.

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

Ranma suffers from the Ultimate Moxibustion Point. To correct the problem, he uses the Nanban Mirror to travel to the past. But will this action truly help him? A part of the Timerunner series ...

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

STEPS OF THE CELESTIAL DRAGON

Part 3:

Meanwhile, in the courtyard of the temple, a stand off was taking place between the new arrival and the five heads of the different orders in Dragon Temple.

"Jiu Mo Zhi, we are all followers of Buddha. Why do you attack us?" one of the monks asked.

"Honour Buddha. Peace upon the Enlightened One. I do not wish for violence but I must carry out the last wishes of Master Mu Rong Ba. So please I beg you once more, for the sake of peace, do not get in the way of this lowly monk," the monk in saffron robes warned.

"You, who come to fight for the Six Meridian Divine Swords technique, are you not considered to be a high one then since you strive against your fate to acquire it against all odds?" another monk asked.

Jiu Mo Zhi laughed.

"That has yet to be determined," he answered by way of reply.

"You are a visitor from Dalun Monastery. We at Dragon Temple have no quarrel with the monks from Dalun Monastery," a second monk added.

"I know that. But I promised Master Mu Rong Ba to bring the Six Meridian Divine Swords manual to him and a lifetime promise must never be broken," Jiu Mo Zhi answered.

"We are at an impasse then. But we cannot in good conscience allow anyone from outside Dragon Temple to get their hands on the Six Meridian Divine Swords manual. If you do not leave, we will be forced to use the Six Meridian Divine Swords on you," the first monk warned.

"In that case, I am deeply honoured to be among the first to experience its true capability! I have heard many stories about the unrivalled power of the Six Meridian Divine Swords technique and I hope that the monks from Dragon Temple would not disappoint me in their teachings of the techniques from the Six Meridian Divine Swords manual," the monk in saffron robes replied sinisterly.

Closing his eyes, Jiu Mo Zhi slapped his palms together. His aura glowed in the sunlight as he threw his prayer beads into the air to form a complete circle around him.

"Allow me to demonstrate one of the 72 lethal skills of Shaolin Temple ..."

A stone the size of a fist floated into the air in front of him between his palms before crumbling into dust with a small application of ki.

"This is the Finger of Random Flowers ... It is rather coarse and unrefined compared to Master Yun Ci's Blossom-Picking Finger, of course ..." Jiu Mo Zhi announced maliciously with fake modesty.

"Adopt the five stances of the Six Meridian Divine Swords!" one of the monks who seemed to be the leader ordered.

The five monks moved into position joining their hands together before firing a sustained beam of ki from their palms at the monk in saffron robes. The five beams of ki shot towards Jiu Mo Zhi who did not even bother to move from his position. They struck the circle of prayer beads around him but did not seem to penetrate the circle in any way.

The five monks increased the strength of their sustained ki beam attacks on the monk in saffron robes but none of their attacks penetrated the circle that had formed around him.

"I am seeing the basic stances of the Six Meridian Divine Swords but not the sword formation moves of the technique. Come on, show me the much vaunted attack moves of the Six Meridian Divine Swords. I want to experience it firsthand," Jiu Mo Zhi sneered in derision.

After another minute of failing spectacularly in penetrating his defenses, Jiu Mo Zhi opened his eyes and threw his palms forward. A massive wave of ki erupted from the circle to smash headlong into everything in front of him. The ground ruptured and part of the wall of the temple shattered as the ki wave crashed straight into it. The five monks barely managed to escape harm from the attack.

"Resume formation!" the five monks linked together once again to form the attack stance of the Six Meridian Divine Swords.

"Like I said before, these are not the actual attack moves of the Six Meridian Divine Swords. Come on! Show me the sword formation technique of the Six Meridian Divine Swords! If this is the best that Dragon Temple can offer, then there is no more hope for the future generation," Jiu Mo Zhi commented in mockery of what he saw in front of him.

The five monks leaped to the attack. Like before, Jiu Mo Zhi did not even bother to dodge.

"The five different animal styles. Tiger, eagle, leapord, snake and crane. You are still using the basic stances of the Six Meridian Divine Swords but not the actual sword formation move itself. Though the formation that you are doing is good, without the actual attack moves of the Six Meridian Divine Swords itself, it is barely adequate and cannot be called an unrivalled skill. This is a waste of time," he laughed as the monks gathered their inner force before him.

Before they could attack, he threw the floating prayer beads around him at the five different monks who scattered as they tried to avoid the projectile attacks.

They were unsuccessful this time and they were sent flying in all directions across the courtyard of the temple. Jiu Mo Zhi was about to finish them off when he narrowly avoided a beam of ki coming from the inside of the temple though it still managed to tear a hole in the right corner of his robe. Raising an eyebrow, he entered the temple to see another monk standing in his way.

Behind him, lay an unconscious girl at his feet.

"Honour Buddha. The temple is a holy place. There should be no killing in the courtyard of the temple," the monk declared.

"May I know your name, sir monk?" Jiu Mo Zhi asked respectfully.

"I am Ben Chen," the monk answered.

"How curious. Ben Chen, your style is different from all the rest. Care to show me the rest of it?" Jiu Mo Zhi remarked sinisterly before launching into a fast strike at the monk before him.

Fire erupted from his fist as he lashed out at the monk in front of him. The monk countered with another deadly ki beam attack from his fingers. Jiu Mo Zhi evaded the blow and kicked under the monk who leaped into the air.

"In fact, it is so different that I've had yet to come across a practitioner of it. Until now. I believe the martial arts technique is unique. Isn't that right Duan Zheng Ming?" Jiu Mo Zhi asked as he compressed a ball of ki in between his palms.

"Huh?" the monk in front of him answered.

"Don't look so surprised. If I'm not mistakened, the Yi Yang Finger technique is known only to the Duan family," Jiu Mo Zhi explained before throwing the compressed ball of ki at his opponent.

The monk in front of him easily evaded the fast moving ball of ki but just as it passed him it exploded with tremendous force, throwing him hard into the wall with the force of the explosion. A scroll fell out of the monk's robes to land on the ground in front of him. With a simple hand gesture, the scroll flew into his palm. Opening the scroll, he glanced through the contents quickly.

"How interesting. The I-Ching Tome. What could the Emperor of Dali be doing with the I-Ching Tome in Dragon Temple I wonder?" Jiu Mo Zhi asked as he turned to look at the unconscious girl on the floor.

Tucking the scroll into his robes, he advanced on the former Emperor of Dali's position. The injured Emperor coughed some blood out onto the floor before getting to his feet. Jiu Mo Zhi raised his palm forward and several twigs flew towards his palm. He gestured and the twigs struck the former Emperor through the legs and hands. The former Emperor cried out in pain and Jiu Mo Zhi gave a shout.

"Listen here all you Shaolin monks! I sincerely hope that you value this man's life! If you do not surrender the Six Meridian Divine Swords technique to me, I will take the former Emperor of Dali back to the ruling prince of my kingdom! You know what kind of fate awaits him there!"

There was a scurrying of feet and the abbot, the Crown Prince and his father appeared in the hall of the temple.

"Leave my grand-uncle alone! Do something, Master Ku Rong!" Duan Yu pleaded with the abbot.

The abbot lifted up the scroll for Jiu Mo Zhi for him to see before throwing it up into the air.

"Good I see you've come to your senses ..." Jiu Mo Zhi answered maliciously.

Jiu Mo Zhi leaped up into the air to catch the scroll but just before he could reach it, the Abbot made a fist gesture at him, forcing him to dodge the ki blast. Jiu Mo Zhi skillfully landed on his feet and leaped again for the scroll but as before, the abbot made a second fist gesture but this time in the direction of the scroll.

"NOOOO!" Jiu Mo Zhi roared out loud upon seeing the scroll burst into flames.

"Honour Buddha," all the monks in the temple intoned and knelt on the ground upon seeing the destruction of the Six Meridian Divine Swords scroll.

"How could you be so reckless as to do this, Master Ku Rong? I feel terrible! Now nobody would be able to learn the Six Meridian Divine Swords technique! Just as well since nobody was able to master the Six Meridian Divine Swords technique, anyway!" Jiu Mo Zhi roared his anger before grabbing hold of his former hostage.

"Fine then! I will take this man back with me to Tu Fan!" the scholar swore furiously.

Shadows wrapped around the Crown Prince as he moved to stop Jiu Mo Zhi as the very light seemed to flee from the interior of the temple.

"The Northern Hand of Darkness. I didn't know that the Duan family had dealings with the people of Xin Chiu. Let's see your level of mastery in the technique, shall we?" Jiu Mo Zhi commented before throwing his prayer beads on the ground.

They dropped and separated to hang individually in the air in the form of a circle around him. He slapped his palms together and they flew towards Duan Yu in a large circular formation. The Crown Prince struck forward with his palms and and they blew away from him back at Jiu Mo Zhi. Jiu Mo Zhi simply dived to one side before moving into a series of hand and leg combination attacks on Duan Yu.

"The Transcendantal Palm! Duan Yu! Becareful! He is using the one of the advanced techniques from the Seventy-Two Movements of Buddha Dharma!" a monk shouted out loud.

The Crown Prince avoided the blows and struck back with his own, shadows launching themselves from his hands at Jiu Mo Zhi. Jiu Mo Zhi dropped to the ground into a lotus position and his aura flared into being. Duan Yu struck forward but was repelled by Jiu Mo Zhi's aura. Shadows from his palms continued to hit the aura but remained unable to penetrate.

"You haven't learned all the movements of the Northern Hand of Darkness, haven't you? It seems you have only mastered the Third Set. Maybe, you should go and ask Master Ding Chin Chiu to teach you all the remaining five sets before coming back to face me," Jiu Mo Zhi snickered.

Jiu Mo Zhi raised his palms and all the furniture around them rose into the air. He flipped his hands over and they flew towards Duan Yu's position at breakneck speed. The Crown Prince launched into a series of movements that sent a massive distortion wave at all the flying furniture destroying them in a powerful explosion before cutting through the walls of the temple faster than a hot knife through butter.

'Huh ... An actual attack move from the Six Meridian Divine Swords. So this person must have learned the Six Meridian Divine Swords technique!' Jiu Mo Zhi involuntarily raised an eyebrow as though seeing Duan Yu for the first time.

'I will have it then no matter what!'

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

The Buddhist scholar did not waste any time.

Jiu Mo Zhi opened his palms making a claw-like gesture. The floor tiles in front of him erupted in a shower of stone and mortar. Water droplets streaked through the air towards the Crown Prince and Duan Yu was forced to dodge. Flames blazed into an inferno and began catching the flammable sections of the temple. Duan Yu leaped to the side dodging the streaking water droplets and flames that threatened to engulfed him before executing another fast combination of the Six Meridian Divine Swords. A long sustained distortion wave blew outwards from his palms forcing Jiu Mo Zhi to leaped upwards to avoid being cut down.

Closing his eyes, he centred himself and the darkness in the temple began to grow. Shadows streaked into his other palm and gathered in a pool of liquid darkness.

"Be careful, Duan Yu! He's using the Dragon Claw ..." the monk warned before throwing a punch forward.

A large blast of ki energy erupted forward from the punch to hit Jiu Mo Zhi only to be slapped aside into the ceiling, destroying the roof of the temple. The remnants of the roof of the temple fell downwards to hit the occupants below. Large dust clouds formed from the point of impact and shrouded everyone from view. When it settled, the abbot and Duan Zheng Chun could see two figures standing side by side. The Crown Prince with Jiu Mo Zhi's hand wrapped around his throat.

"I may not have the Six Meridian Divine Swords manual but I have the person with the knowledge of the Six Meridian Divine Swords in his head. Master Mu Rong Ba never said that the source of the Six Meridian Divine Swords technique had to be a non-living thing. Duan Yu will come with me. I take my leave," Jiu Mo Zhi answered before leaping into the air with the Crown Prince as prisoner.

Duan Zheng Chun and the former Emperor of Dali could only watch the scene with a feeling of rage and helplessness.

"Honour Buddha. Peace upon the Enlightened One. Do not despair. His fate has yet to be decided. Jiu Mo Zhi would be unlikely to do anything rash that would endanger Duan Yu's life until he gets the knowledge of the Six Meridian Divine Swords in his hands," the abbot interrupted their musings.

A cough from the ground drew their attention. The unconscious red-headed girl on the ground had begun to stir.

"So what happened? Where am I?" were her first words.

"Honour Buddha. Much has happened," the abbot answered.

The three men then began to relate what had happened to Ranma.

"So can you guys cure me or something?" she asked hopefully.

"About the matter of curing you, there has been a slight complication," the former Emperor of Dali answered.

"What do you mean?" Ranma asked.

"When Jiu Mo Zhi came, he not only took Duan Yu away. He also took the I-Ching Tome with him," came the much-feared answer.

"And that is the only copy of the I-Ching Tome that we have in Dragon Temple," the abbot added.

"I don't understand. What's so special about this I-Ching Tome?" Ranma asked anxiously.

"That book contained all the knowledge needed to fix the free flow of your inner force pathways that had been severely ruptured without which you would have great difficulty accessing your body's internal energy," came the dreaded reply.

Ranma closed her eyes to meditate and tried to focus the flow of ki from her body into her palm like she usually did but it stubbornly resisted all her attempts to move it. The ki was there alright but getting to it was like pushing water through a pipe system full of holes and blocks.

"No!" Ranma cried out in horror as realisation dawned upon her.

"If you actually continue to force your inner force to do what you want, it will further damage your inner force pathways and there is a good chance that you might never be able to use your body's inner force again," the abbot shook his head sadly in reply.

"I don't accept this! What do you mean I would never be able to use ki again? Wasn't I able to suck out the inner force of my opponents?" the Jusekyo-cursed martial artist was almost in tears.

"That was different. You can still use inner force as long as the inner force does not come from your own body. Hence the reason as to why you were able to execute moves that required inner force so long as the inner force did not come from your body," came the sad explanation.

There was silence for about a minute and then a loud piercing shriek echoed through the temple.

"NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!"

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

Two men were walking at a sedate pace along the road. The younger of the two performed a few moves but nothing happened.

"Save your strength. I've locked up your inner force. You wouldn't be able to perform any martial arts move until I release your pressure points," the older man said.

"Where are you taking me?" the younger man asked.

"To pay my respects to an old friend of mine," the older man clad in saffron robes replied.

"I thought you said he was dead," the younger man said.

"He is dead," the older man answered.

"What are you going to do with me?" the younger man asked.

"That depends on whether you want to co-operate with me. For your sake, I hope you do," the older man sighed.

"What do you mean?" the younger man asked.

"I would like you to make a copy of the Six Meridian Divine Swords for me," the older man replied.

"Forget it. That's not going to happen even if you break every bone in my body," the younger man swore.

"Your intentions are well and good, my Prince, but seriously misplaced. I have no interest in learning the Six Meridian Divine Swords at all. After you've finished inscribing it for me in a scroll, I will take the scroll to his grave and bury it inside it. I will not even take a glance at the Six Meridian Divine Swords manual," the older man explained.

"Do you take me for a fool? I was not born yesterday, Jiu Mo Zhi," the younger man sneered.

There was a sound of something moving fast through the air and their feet came to a standstill. Earth, wood, metal, fire and water droplets were hanging in the air in front of Jiu Mo Zhi's upturned hand. They broke off and surrounded the young Prince coming very close to him. So close that they almost touched him. In actuality, the young Prince could feel the heat literally from the flames.

"If you think you can threaten me this way, Jiu Mo Zhi, you can forget it! I will never give up the secret of the Six Meridian Divine Swords!" the young Prince swore.

The older man simply closed his fist before snapping it open again. At once, the floating objects disappeared from sight, spreading out in all directions to tear down everything in front of them, leaving a hundred meter radius of tree stumps in front of them.

"What was that supposed to do, impress me?" the young Prince mocked.

"No, my Prince. None at all. You have experienced firsthand the attacks from some of the 72 Movements of Buddha Dharma. Having borne witness to its strength, I am sure you are aware of its power. With such a powerful martial art at my disposal, what need have I for such a second-rate martial art like the Six Meridian Divine Swords?" the older man clad in saffron robes laughed out loud.

"You speak cleverly but not truthfully. Though your lips deny your desire to acquire the Six Meridian Divine Swords, your heart says otherwise. I wish I could believe you, Jiu Mo Zhi. I really do. But your kidnapping of me leaves much to be desired," Duan Yu answered.

"Suit yourself then, my Prince. If you still refuse to make a copy of the Six Meridian Divine Swords manual by the time we reach our destination, I will then have to take a much less pleasant alternative. Though I would much rather prefer to keep you as one of my disciples," Jiu Mo Zhi let off a sigh.

"What do you mean?" Duan Yu asked.

"You already have learned Northern Hand of Darkness from Ding Chin Chiu. Just let me have the Six Meridian Divine Swords manual and I will impart my knowledge of the 72 lethal skills of Shaolin Temple to you. With mastery of both the the Northern Hand of Darkness and the 72 Movements of Buddha Dharma, there will be few in the martial arts world who would be able to rival you apart from the leaders of the martial arts sects, of course," Jiu Mo Zhi voiced his offer.

"Not interested and I will not negotiate with kidnappers like you!" the young prince insisted.

"Your Highness, unlike what you may think, I'm not a monster. But a promise is a promise. Especially to one's teacher. Surely you could understand that. Just let me have the scroll of the Six Meridian Divine Swords technique and I will even personally coach you in all the techniques that I know," Jiu Mo Zhi offered.

Duan Yu remained unmoved.

"Buddha, be merciful. You are a nice young man. At any other time, I would have gladly taken you as one of my disciples. It would be a great pity for me to have to kill you," Jiu Mo Zhi sighed reluctantly.

"Go ahead. Do your worst!" the young Prince dared the monk.

"I'm sorry it has to come down to this. The offer still stands until we reach Master Mu Rong Ba's tomb. My original plan was to leave the Six Meridian Divine Swords manual buried in Master Mu Rong Ba's grave. But seeing that I couldn't get the Six Meridian Divine Swords scroll and the fact that you are a type of 'manual' nonetheless, guess I'll have to fulfill my promise by leaving you, buried in his tomb. Whether you survived the experience or not, my Prince, is another matter entirely," came the sinister reply.

TBC

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

Date : 030609

Disclaimer : All Ranma and Jin Yong characters and concepts belong to respective creators and owners.

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

Ranma suffers from the Ultimate Moxibustion Point. To correct the problem, he uses the Nanban Mirror to travel to the past. But will this action truly help him? A part of the Timerunner series ...

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

STEPS OF THE CELESTIAL DRAGON

Part 4:

Status: Rough Draft ...

Ranma had left.

There was no point in staying at the monastery any longer if he could not be cured. Currently, the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist was on his way to the largest Buddhist Temple in the region where a cure to the Ultimate Moxibustion Point lay.

An hour ago ...

"Remember, Ranma. The I-Ching Tome may not be the only cure to your current condition. The Tendon-Altering Sutra at Shaolin Temple is also another viable alternative if you can get the abbot to translate it for you," the abbot looked in sympathy at the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist's despair.

"Translate it?" Ranma questioned.

"Unless you can read Sanskrit. The Tendon-Altering Sutra did not come from our lands. A hundred years ago, a monk from India went on a journey to visit the Buddhist monasteries in China. Suffice it to say, he met the abbot of the temple and they talked about a lot of things including martial arts and its connection to body health and true enlightenment. After a month, the meeting concluded and the monk returned back to his homeland. Before he left, he gave the abbot of the monastery a scroll on how to increase and manipulate the body's inner force and chakra reserves through meditation and body positioning. That scroll was the Tendon-Altering Sutra and it would increase the power of any inner force user many times over. This has resulted in many attempts to steal it in the past. As a result, the monks of that temple are most suspicious of strangers especially those who show up asking for it. I have written a letter to the abbot of the temple telling him about your situation. Give it to him. That's all I can do for now," the abbot handed to him a brown envelope which the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist quickly tucked into Hidden Space.

The journey went on uneventfully for several hours until Ranma's stomach began to groan loudly.

'Time to eat,' he thought and began to forage for food in the wild.

Now all the wilderness survival skills that he had built up during his martial arts training journey in China with his 'Pops' had begun to come in handy. The first thing he needed was some water so he went to look for a nearby river to use. Luck was with him, for he heard the sound of rushing water after half an hour of searching. Next on the priority was food, so he got ready some of the fishing equipment. As usual, when a source of water was present nearby, the Jusenkyo curse activated, leaving the martial artist wet and in female form.

Feeling annoyed at the usual transformation into a girl from the curse, the martial artist got out a kettle from Hidden Space. She dipped the kettle into the river and began to build a fire. That was when things began to go wrong.

"My, my, my ... what a pretty little beauty, you are," a male voice remarked sinisterly from above.

Ranma glanced up to see a man in blue, silver and red silk wardrobe standing on one of the nearby tree branches.

At any other time, Ranma would have been more than ready to pound the living daylights out of the young man currently gazing at him in a lecherous manner but at this point in time, Ranma did not feel so confident in taking him on ... without her ki.

Deciding that discretion was the better part of valour, Ranma quickly employed the Saotome Secret Final Technique of running away to fight another day.

The only thing was it didn't turn out to be quite so simple. The lecherous young man was easily able to keep pace with the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist all throughout the chase through the seemingly neverending forest and Ranma was rapidly getting tired. Ranma could feel the young man closing in like a cat getting ready to pounce on a mouse. She dodged to the left and some of the earth came loose beneath her feet.

There was a sense of vertigo as her feet lost purchase on the slippery grass and she fell to the valley below ...

Death had never seemed more certain as it did then with the ground rushing up to meet him ...

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

Ranma opened her eyes to find herself lying on the ground in a dark cavern.

"Awake already? Good! I'm really hungry!" a voice in the cave shouted.

Sensing danger, Ranma dodged just in time to avoid a claw-like fist raking the ground where she was moments ago. Deep trenches follow the claw-like fist as a long white-haired figure clad in rags leaped from the ground towards her. Ranma's eyes narrowed at the insane old man growling at him. Sensing the enormous ki potential from his attacker, Ranma weaved to the side and just in time ... before the deadly old man struck again. There was a powerful explosion as a section of the cave wall exploded from her opponent's deadly attack.

Slipping into the Subtle-Ripple Treading Step, Ranma was easily able to avoid the old man's powerful attacks despite the lack of ki. Finally, after fifteen minutes of a cat-and-mouse game, the old man seemingly had enough and threw a powerful dark ki-based attack that distorted the very surroundings at Ranma. The size of the ki blast ensured that the Jusenkyo-cursed martial artist would be unable to dive for cover. Instinctively, she quickly braced herself for impact. The blast knocked her clear through the cave and the old man in rags was upon her in a second.

The sound of a second explosion rocked the cavern and the last thing Ranma saw was another old man knocking away his deadly assailant.

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

Ranma opened his eyes to find himself lying on a coat in a cave.

"How are you feeling?" a voice called him from the side.

An old man turned to look in his direction.

"Feeling like I had gone through ten Ryogas and twenty Taros ..." Ranma answered.

The old man looked at Ranma calmly.

"Perhaps there is a way that I can help the both of us with our current predicament. You need external ki for you to work your martial arts technique where as I have plenty of it but no real way of escape since the lower part of my body is paralysed. I believe that I can remove that ki block from you but there is a price," the old man explained.

"Price?" Ranma asked again.

"There is a good chance that I would end up destroying the very foundation of your martial arts system. You would have to start retraining in whatever martial arts you knew from before, Ranma," came the old man's answer.

"Retraining?" Ranma trembled a little in dread.

"Yes. Retraining as in from scratch," came the much dreaded explanation.

"But would I have access to my inner force?" Ranma asked again.

"Yes, you would. What I am doing would free up your inner force pathways immediately," the old man answered.

"What are you going to do?" Ranma asked apprehensively.

"Wait and see," the old man answered.

Ranma felt a sudden flow of ki from the palms of the old man and she was thrown into the air. Using a combination of hand movements, the old man struck Ranma at several key points across her body only to spin her around again. She dropped to the ground again in front of the old man.

"I, Su Sing He, the first disciple of Master Wu Ya Zi, the founder of the Carefree sect, has transfered all forty-five years of the Northern Darkness martial arts training into you, Ranma. You are now my sole heir. The Second Subset and Fourth Subset of the Northern Hand of Darkness are now yours. Use it well ... and stop Ding Chin Chiu ..." the old man continued before falling unconscious.

'Oh no ... Looks like he's out cold. I had better get him out of here ...' Ranma thought before leaping upwards to the hole he fell through with a ki-powered jump.

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

"Looks like Ding Chin Chiu is already here. You are no match for him in this state at the moment."

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_

"So what's the story behind the Northern Hand of Darkness?" Duan Yu asked.

"It's quite a long story. The Northern Hand of Darkness has seven subsets in it with each subset being practiced requiring a different level of understanding and inner force mastery. Legend has it that a long time ago, the creator of the style wrote them into seven volumes to be divided equally amongst his students after he passed on. Each student only learned one subset of the Northern Hand of Darkness unless said student decided to exchange it with another fellow student. So the only way to progress forward in the style was to share one own's knowledge with the others. The old master did that to avoid divisions and internal squabbling amongst his pupils after he died for the Northern Hand of Darkness manuals. Who knew that after he passed on ... that the whole situation would become worse instead of better? All the different sects and martial arts groups now warring and fighting against each other for the complete knowledge of the Northern Hand of Darkness."

_**-A Ranma/Jin Yong Crossover**_


End file.
